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Needles and Knees

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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22 Comments

  1. Biz

    My husband has horrible knee pain from two artificial knees and arthritis, so I know how painful knee problems can be – hope you find the answers! 😀

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I’m sorry about your husband. I know arthritis is probably worse than what I’m dealing with.

  2. Robyn

    Pain that interrupts your life and prevents you from doing what you love is awful. I hope you have really found what works for you in acupuncture, I know my mother in law goes to get that done and it has done wonders for her back pain and night leg cramps, hopefully it will continue to heal you too!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That’s what sucks–it disrupts my routine. It makes even something as simple as “can I walk down the street or is that too far?” a challenge. That’s great that acupuncture helped your mother in law. Everyone I know that has done it sings it’s praises. I hope it works for me!

  3. Cindy

    One of the next things I will be trying for my headache(s) is acupuncture. I’m not really a fan of needles, but I suppose if I can handle 3 tattoos and 3 sets of nerve blocks where they are sticking needles in my temples, I can handle this.

    I hope that you will be biking and running soon! 🙂

    1. Lisa Eirene

      If you have tattoos you can handle this! I have 5 tattoos and acupuncture feels nothing like it. It doesn’t even feel as bad as getting a flu shot! Seriously, give it a try.

  4. Nick Goodall

    Wow, this is quite ‘depressing’, unless you’ve got a surprise for tomorrow? I can only wish you the best with what comes of it, I’m sure you’ll find an answer soon if you haven’t already!

    I may be behind on this, but is there anything that scans, x-rays or anything else that have hinted something? I’m intrigued…

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I don’t know about depressing but disheartening for sure. I had almost a month of NO PAIN and feeling great. The good news is that this recent flare up didn’t last very long like the last one did. So I guess that’s positive.

      I had an X-ray on my knees a few months ago and everything was fine. Not sure what an MRI will tell me.

  5. Michelle @ Eat Move Balance

    The acupuncture is very interesting! I didn’t know that it might be helpful for combating runner’s knee. I hope things continue go in a positive directions for you. I know that injuries can be incredibly frustrating (I’ve dealt with more than I care to think about). Hang in there, and keep up with the strengthening to promote correct muscle balance. For me, that has been a big help. 🙂

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Strengthening has helped a lot. That’s a plus!

  6. Brian

    I hate to be a fear monger but you have to be absolutely positive that those needles are new or sterile. A lot of disease gets spread that way. Also I never really had runners knee but used to get shin splints a lot and something I absolutely swear by is bromelain. I haven’t taken it in years but I got it at GNC for like ten bucks. I originally purchased it because I had heard it helped with constipation in a more natural way. It didn’t but I noticed after a while no more shin splints. It might have just been coincidental but I don’t know.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      It’s a reputable place. I watch him remove the needles from the packaging and when he’s done he puts it in a biohazard container.

      I haven’t heard of bromelain. I’ll look it up.

  7. Mary (A Merry Life)

    Interesting post Lisa! I’m fascinated by acupuncture but at the same time I’m terrified by it. Needles all over? I’m not sure I could do it! I do hope you figure out the runner’s knee. :\

    1. Lisa Eirene

      They are super super tiny needles!

  8. Trevor

    I hope your knees are on the mend Lisa, but if they are, it doesn”t sound to me like you’re giving them the break they need to fully heal. And if they’re not on the mend . . . just be careful.

    I’ve seen too many people run themselves into the ground. And it’s usually the knees that give out first. I wish I had listened to my body back during my heavy weight training days. It told me over and over again to JUST STOP.

    Of course, I didn’t.

    And so now I pay the price. Less training. Lighter training. Less muscle. More pain.

    A little patience goes a long way when it comes to healing from training injuries.

    Cheers!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I appreciate the concern and hear what you are saying. Yes, I am stubborn. Yes, I often go balls-to-the-wall in everything I do. However, I am also incredibly in tune with my body. I know when something’s not right, when it’s more than just an ache or pain, and I do try my best to listen to what my body is telling me and NOT push past that point. I think the weight lifting program Suzanne wrote me did WONDERS. I really do think that is what gave me almost a month of absolute pain-free living! I’m disappointed that the bike ride is probably what undid it. I really do think that the seat is too low and I need to fork over the money to get re-fitted. It’s time to suck it up and do it and not try to figure it out myself!

      I also think that I was living with so much unbalance in my body for so long that it did this damage. My body finally said I needed to do the right thing (i.e. yoga and weight lifting to fix imbalances).

      I’m sorry to hear about your back. Back stuff is the worst. I watch my boyfriend suffer with it for a year. Are you better now?

  9. K @ Finding a skinnier me

    I hope your knee issues get resolved real soon, how frustrating for you.

    I have always wanted to try acupuncture but am scared of tiny needles, so I will keep waiting to see how it keeps working out for you!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Give it a try. It really doesn’t hurt. I had one bad experience and that’s it. Tonight I went to my last session for awhile and it was fine. The needles don’t even feel like much. It’s not scary I swear!!

  10. Jess

    I’ve had acupuncture many times (my physio is a qualified acupuncturist as well) and while I can’t say if it has helped or not, it certainly hasn’t made matters worse. I’m a fast healer anyway, but when I have it done I seem to have faster healing times. It does hurt some sessions, and not others, even if the needle is in the exact same place. Bodies are weird like that!

    I hope your knee comes right for you soon! I rolled my ankle a few weeks back, and while it is healing as it should it’s not healing fast enough for me, and I am getting frustrated! So, I hear ya!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Glad to hear you are a fast healer! My injuries tend to linger. Sadly!

  11. Amy

    I have done acupuncture. I am terrible afraid of needles. It did not relax me, I was too freaked out, and I went in for almost 10 sessions. I finally couldn’t do it any more.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I have to admit, I was pretty glad when my stint doing acupuncture once a week was finished.

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